Packaging: The common packaging is nothing to write home about, but it does the job. The picture of the actual character on the bubble insert should be on the back as well, not a faded larger pic of the toy. I can't say this POTJ-style packaging with the larger bubble is a success, but by the same token, I open all my figures, so I don't care too much. However, it really bothers me that the larger bubble makes it seem like there's less product, and it also bothers me that the card seems very generic, even more than the POTJ card it's emulating. (Grade: C-)

Jango Fett: This figure is quite pre-posed, but has the full range of motion of a Star Wars figures (the "standard six"), plus an extra point if you count the pivoting rangefinder. The stance is fairly extreme and doesn't quite make sense beneath the waist, but the head tilted slightly forward, the torso tilted back, and the arms shooting forward works for what it is; there could have been some added articulation to made this pose happen and still have a neutral pose, but it don't, so oh well. However, the pose isn't 100% rigid, you can add a little personal touch by trying different angles and such; and even the hands being close together doesn't hold the figure back entirely.

The figure's sculpt is top notch, and the paint is almost as good with only a little mismatching of the main costume and slop on the backpack. The cool silver mixed with blue details of the helmet and costume and the brown details of the ammo belt and non-working holsters makes for a good blend, and the slightly more colorful blue, yellow, white, and dark red backpack makes for a good contrast. The figure's sculpting is really nice overall, slight battle damage on the torso armor, slightly rumpled jumpsuit, shoulder armor hanging off the arms at an angle (since the arms are out in front of the figure), and well-detailed accessories.

The removable backpack can accept the pistols' (also removable) blast effects to make nifty jet flames - the effect is right on the money both on the jetpack and the pistols. The matching silver pistols fit in the figure's hands fine and seem accurate, but they don't really seem that exciting. All in all, this feels like an adequate, if overly-posed, action figure. (Grade: Somewhere in between A- and B+)

Clone Trooper: Another pre-posed figure, this figure doesn't even have "the standard six" points of articulation, missing the waist articulation, and it feels hollow with the torso and crotch being all one piece. The pose is ok for "shooting the rifle", but has NO room for variation beyond the elevation of the gun! The leg pose actually makes more sense than preview Jango's leg pose, but there's even less room for a change in stance than those hopeless arms. The sculpt isn't as sharp as Jango or the picture of the Clone Trooper on the card - I may not like the look of the helmet and armor, but that doesn't factor into this next part. The helmet isn't as sharp as it could be, especially on the sides where the little details are, the underside is too rounded, and there's not enough neck. The chest armor is way off, especially at the stomach where it's supposed to look like a second piece. The belt doesn't look like a separate piece of the trooper's equipment, it looks like it was just molded from the armor - and too far out, to boot. Beneath the belt, the only problem is basically a lack of sharpness all over the dang place, but it's not as bad as the upper half. There are some interesting stormtrooper-like details here and there, but they don't stand out particularly well. Another problem is at all 4 limb joints where they meet the main body, it's too squared off -- this looks like a design from 7 years ago. Finally, this figure is scrawny as heck, but it looks like that may be accurate; it's not as bad as the POTJ Scout Trooper, but it's not as good-looking as the Commtech Stromtrooper (that's a sentiment that's echoed throughout the whole thing really, far beyond the "scrawny" issue).

The black details are painted on fairly well, but the further down you look, the sloppier the undersuit paint gets - it's incomplete in many places. The helmet "mouth" is painted gray and black, and it's pretty neat, but the other gray details on the helmet are fairly sloppy. However, there's really no sense behind the detail paint oversprays, the black on the shoulders doesn't match and doesn't really seem to be a legitimate fade since between the shoulders... NO overspray at all! There is some more black overspray on the arms in various places, but it seems slapped on there without rhyme or reason. There's more overspray woes, from the torso down, there is a brown overspray and a black overspray intermixed on the front of the torso piece, but at the back, there's much, much less of it. Then, the legs are covered in a heavy use of brown overspray as if the figure had been trudging through the filthiest swamps of Dagobah. It's too much down below and not enough (as well as not even enough) up top.

Finally, there's the weapon, the huge rifle and it's removable blast effect. The weapon is very well detailed, though I don't know if it's from the movie or not. The blaster appears to be molded in the same translucent blue plastic of the blast, but is nicely painted in a slightly metallic black with a dark brown stock. The blast effect fits over the barrel of the weapon nicely, though removing it over and over seems to have worn some of the paint off the barrel on mine already, which is how I know the gun is molded in blue plastic. The blast isn't as sleek or small as those on the Jango pistols, and the big end of the blast is a bit too extreme and crystal-like for my tastes. Sadly, the blast is also pretty warped from being taped into the tray too long, so this trooper's shot takes a subtle curve. The weapon sits in the figure's hands a little uncomfortably since the right hand has an extreme trigger finger and the left hand has an extreme cup shape, as well as being too close to the right hand; the fit is adequate, but could be a lot more believable. Oh, and strangely, it appears the rifle is designed from the rear section of the old Stormtrooper rifle and the bulk of an upside-down, and slightly oversized, Stormtrooper blaster -- an odd choice. (Grade: C+)

JediTricks

03-15-2002, 02:19 PM

I'm changing the Clone Trooper's grade to C, maybe even C-. This figure gets less impressive with age.

JEDIpartner

03-15-2002, 03:45 PM

I'm with you there Buddy! It was actually okay for about a minute, but the more I looked at it... the less sense it made to me. It's pretty shoddy goods.

I hope there is another "non-preview" Clone Trooper to best this little reject from the Space Warz or Stars War line.

mark2d2

03-16-2002, 01:58 PM

I actually like how the actual toy is the big picture on the back. I think it's a pretty cool idea.

humsup

03-18-2002, 03:24 AM

Thanks for the preview, very comprehensive and great for my decision making to buy these figs. Any chance I can see a preview on Zam Wesell too? :D

Incidently, this is my 200th post :)

jblodgett

03-18-2002, 09:40 AM

I had a chance to see these figures this morning at my local wal-mart. Although I only purchased the Jango Fett, I thought all the preview figures were pretty good.

On the droid-- pretty cool clear head! You can see the little parts inside the dome too! But that 3rd leg is HUGE! It sticks out way too much. (hehehe..)

My biggest complaint with these figures- and really it is with ALL of the SW figures lately- what is with the cheap rubbery weapons? There is absolutely no "substance" to these weapons anymore.

Maybe it is just me, but when I pull a figure out of the card, I do not want his weapons to be bent in 45 degree angles. The Jango Fett's pistols are bent all out of whack, and if you put the two blaster bolts on them they are bent even more. The Zam figure and the Clonetrooper figure are the worst-- because they have such big weapons.

I haven't had a chance to get him out of the box yet-- so maybe when I'll do I'll offer a bit more of a review.

JediTricks

03-18-2002, 11:18 PM

Humsup, congrats on the 200th post, and thanks for the nice words. As for Zam (and R3), I'm working on it almost every day. :D

jblodgett, the rubbery weapons are kinda annoying, but they've become a fact of Star Wars collecting life for me. My plan is to gather up the REALLY warped weapons, the ones that won't straighten by themselves after a few days being out of the package, and put them in hot water for a while then lay them flat, but I've been putting it off lately.

JediTricks

03-23-2002, 12:55 AM

Just a note, I found 'em tonight and will do a review of them tomorrow evening or Sunday morning. I want to really experience them before I give a thorough review to avoid the "degrading joy" problem that came up with the Clone Trooper.

JediTricks

03-25-2002, 12:23 AM

Well, my review of Zam and R3 are going online in a few minutes, so I thought you should be properly warned ;) but the reason this post is titled the way it is goes to the following:

I'm once again changing the Clone Trooper's review my grade for the Clone Trooper has now gone down to a D+, this is not due to just disliking the figure more and more, this is more serious... the blast effect has caused the big fat rifle to droop!!! What the hell is that about?!? Shouldn't Hasbro have checked to see if this would happen before they did it? I've had Zam Wesell out less than 4 hours and it's happening there too! BAH!!! From hell's heart, I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!

Clone Trooper (Final Grade: D+)

brentfett

04-18-2002, 11:12 PM

I agree entirely. That rifle sucks. It's like they molded it out of hardened chewing gum. Hasbro seriously needs to make more rigid accessories. Now I do like the red clone trooper from the AOTC line. Same piece of garbage rifle, but with that tripod, why would you use that thing? Now THAT is a weapon!

Wolfwood319

04-18-2002, 11:15 PM

Haven't we been over why the new figures/accessories are made out of softer plastic before? They're made from the more rubbery plastic for saftey reasons. This day in age, everything has to be made with the lowest common denominator in mind, for some reason.